Unknown Past, Uncertain Future
by Mayinga
Summary: The story of Nelyra, Alanna's daughter, and her quest to save Tortall. Discontinued
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own all of the characters in this story nor all of the settings. They belong to Tamora Pierce, although Nelyra and Kay are mine.  
  
AuthorÕs Note: Kay rhymes with sky not fray.  
  
Ê  
  
Prologue  
  
Ê  
  
Ê  
  
Cobwebs fell like a veil onto NelyraÕs hair, their residents crawling ver her grimy clothing. She carefully shifted her weight onto her injured leg and moved to the cheese shelf. The sour smell of the cloth covered lumps teasing her grumbling stomach. She reached for a piece of the food and hurriedly shoved it into her nearly invisible from wear cloak. A rat fled from its midnight snack as the cellar door squeaked open.  
  
"Thief!" the man standing in the door exclaimed as Nelyra quickly limped to the other door, narrowly escaping the jaws of imprisonment.   
  
Once outside, she cursed the man with every word she learned out in the streets. She strolled through the alleys as if she was in her own dwelling. And in a way they were more of a home than the tiny room she shared with her older brother, an older brother who was less of a family than her friends, The Rogue. 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own most of the characters in this story nor most of the settings. Although, Nelyra and Kay are mine.  
  
  
  
Author's note: yet again.Kay rhymes with sky not fray.  
  
  
  
The Dancing Dove was alive with music, laughter, and yelling. Tankards upon tankards were filled to the brim and emptied in an instant. Kay sat in the middle enjoying the attention the lower thieves were giving him. A sound made him turn to the door. Seeing the red-haired girl, he beckoned her forward.  
  
"Your Majesty," she said once she reached Kay's table. "I see that you are quite well."  
  
"Call me Kay, Nel, unless you wish to lose one of your pretty ears," the King of Thieves replied, his gray eyes sparkling from amusement.  
  
"Very well, Kay, I'm glad you've adopted the old king's ways," Nelyra commented.  
  
"Not the old king's but his predecessor," he said smiling. "Too bad he went of with the wrong people. I mean, how could he marry the King's Champion?"  
  
"Jealous, Kay?"  
  
"Not at all, I wouldn't be able to put up with the Lioness's temper anymore than I can with yours."  
  
They sat for a minute in silence. Well, not exactly. The chaos of the celebration filled every corner of the inn and ricocheted off the walls and out the windows and into the streets.  
  
"Any luck with today's 'hunt'?" Kay asked brushing back a pale blond lock of hair away from his face.  
  
'Nearly got caught, and what for? It was but a wheel of common cheese. Not even imported! And that man's voice could be heard through out all of Corus."  
  
  
  
"Why don't you use your Gift?"  
  
Immediately Kay saw Nelyra's amber eyes turn an emerald color; the color of the city walls shutting under a full moon.  
  
"It's my gift after all," she said in a small voice. She got up from her seat. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
She walked through the door and vanished in the early morning shadows. 


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own most of the characters nor most of the settings. Although Nelyra and Kay belong to me.

Author's Note: As a response to one of the reviews I received I would like to state that Tamora Pierce does not mention Nelyra in any of her Tortall books. I created Nelyra.

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When Nelyra arrived at her lodgings, she found Robert bent over a piece of parchment at his small desk. She crept closer, making sure he did not hear her. The blue seal on the parchment startled her. Blue was for the King, the real king, King Jonathan. What did the King want with her brother? A sudden pain made her leg crumple and she fell to the floor.

"You could have Knocked, Nelly," Robert commented as he helped her up. "What have you done to your leg?"

"I fell."

"I know you did who was chasing you?'

"I fell."

Robert laughed softly. " That's the same excuse the pages use when they get into a fight."

" I ain't the one teaching them stuff bout the Gift, You are. And I don't care bout em."

" What happened t the correct grammar I taught you?" Robert asked.

" It fell," she answered. " I'm going to bed."

" I would like to think that eight o'clock in the morning is a bit to early for sleeping."

" Shut-up!" Nelyra yelled as she pulled the curtains closed around her bed.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own most of the characters nor most of the settings. Although Nelyra and Kay are mine.  
  
  
  
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Nelyra walked into the Dancing Dove as the city bell in the square struck nine o'clock. She glanced around the room. A small altar to the Crooked God above a card table made her smile. She walked up to the ale barrel and after taking a tankard from a shelf, poured some of the foamy liquid into the cup. She loved the Dove. It was home. The thief's life fit her well, just like the leather belt and knife sheath around her waist as well as the sharp blade in it. She emptied her tankard when shouter from upstairs awoke her from her drowsy state. She ran up the stairs two at a time, coming face to face with Gray.  
  
"Cain't talk no sense into that lad," Gray mumbled. "Don't know why he was made King." Turning to Nelyra he said: "His Majesty wants ye. Better run lass, he be in a fit if ye don't."  
  
"Thanks, Gray," Nelyra shouted as she ran to Kay's room.  
  
The door opened as she came towards it.  
  
"Nelly, come in, I was just about to call for you," Kay said as he held the door open for her to come through.  
  
Nelyra glanced around the room as she sat down. It was very neat except for several rolls of parchment on the desk behind which he sat.  
  
"To put things in their abbreviated form.help," he said glancing over the pieces of parchment. "A couple of the lads raided a small party outside Corus. When they searched the robes of the, now dead, members of the party, they found this." He handed her one of the scrolls. It had a broken, black seal on it. "Read it," Kay ordered.  
  
" 'Sarcen, Both of our forces are assembled at Fief Akirem. We have a combined force of 2000 men and 100 horses. We will march to your camp five days before Mabon. Your force must surround the palace before the peace talks. Ahtgan will take care of the king. Like the Tortallans say, Mithros Bless! Tortall will have a new king'" Nelyra placed the letter onto the table. "This is crazy, sheer insanity," she commented.  
  
"Tell me something I don't know," Kay retorted. "The question is, what are we going to do about it? We can't ignore this. If it isn't a horrible prank, all of Tortall is in danger. But if we decide to contact the king-."  
  
"Who will believe us?! They would rather stuff us into a cage than believe us! We are all on the Provost's wanted list!"  
  
"Nelyra, stop yelling! I asked you for advice and all I'm getting is criticism!"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"I ain't helpin' no nobles."  
  
"Quit the fake, street accent."  
  
"I'm leaving."  
  
"Go right ahead."  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
"You're welcome!"  
  
Nelyra slammed the door behind her.  
  
Kay stared at the door. He briefly saw small, lilac and white flashes on the normally gray iron handle. A smile spread on his lips. "So she does have a Gift," he murmured. "The door shone with violet light veined with white. It rattled loudly and fell of the hinges. "All right, she has a very large Gift." 


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own most of the characters nor most of the settings. Although, Nelyra and Kay are mine.

Author's Note: Please reviewI am currently struggling with a writer's block but I have enough material to add a chapter a day for a week.

Nelyra shut the door to her apartment. Turning to face the room, she saw her brother cleaning his sword. She loved that sword. It had a beautiful silver hilt shaped like the wings of a dragon. The dragon's head fitted over the tang, securing the blade. The dragon's body extended through the grip, its hind claws holding on to a blue crystal, forming the pommel. The blade gleamed cold silver.

"You look too serious," Nelyra commented. "Anything bothering you?" She walked to the breadbox.

"As a matter of fact, yes. A gentleman challenged me to a duel, foolish man."

Nelyra choked on her slice of bread. "A gentleman did what?!"

Well, a knight, really, challenged me to a duel, Nelyra."

"Over what, may I ask?" She noticed Robert's color rise a bit, as I did when he was under pressure.

"A silly argument."

"So you are willing to get killed over a girl?"

"Did I say it was over a lady?"

"No, your face did."

Robert's face displayed a vermilion color.

"Anyway, good luck, and good morning. I'm going to bed. You should really try to cure your duelphilia," she said, referring to the many times that Robert had to clean his blade after it had cut through his opponent's flesh.

"Good night, Nelly," Robbie said, placing his sword into it's scabbard. 

_If only she knew,_ he thought. _If only she knew._


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own most of the characters nor most of the settings. Although, Kay and Nelyra belong to me.  
  
Author's note: This is but a part of a long chapter, so bear with me. Please read and review.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sweat poured down the man's face, blinding him temporarily. He could not risk a distraction, and wiping his eyes could give his opponent the chance. The chance to thrust cold steel into his flesh and erase all traces of life from it. Who would have thought that the scholar would have so much skill? He looked at Robert, and seeing that the teacher wasn't even mildly tired, he began to panic.  
  
Robert smiled. He loved duels. He loved to take his sword, Victory, and place it between his opponent's ribs. So concentrated was he, that he did not notice Nelyra as she sat watching in a tree, hidden by its green branches. Robbie parried a blow that was meant for his neck. Then, with a circling stroke, he knocked his opponent's sword to the ground and placed his own sword on the knight's throat.  
  
"Give up, Sir Erik?" Robbie asked, a wicked smile playing on his lips.  
  
The knight nodded.  
  
"Good. We don't wish to ruin your beautiful face with scars," Robert said with a sarcastic tone. He walked towards the astonished lady sitting under a parasol. She was about nineteen years of age. She had pale skin and auburn hair. "Lady Catherine, I suggest you go back to your chambers and refrain from seeing any.er. gentlemen for at least a year, if not a decade," Robert told the woman.  
  
"Who do you think you are to tell me how I should act?" Lady Catherine of Pirate's Swoop replied bitterly. "You speak to me as though I am a child."  
  
Anger blazed on the scholars face. "If you weren't my sister-."  
  
"Your what?!" Both Nelyra and Lady Catherine shouted.  
  
"Nel?! What are you doing here?" Robert asked, bewildered.  
  
"What in the name of the Crooked God are you telling this slut?!" Nelyra queried as she jumped from the tree.  
  
"The truth, Nel."  
  
"The what?!"  
  
Robbie sighed as he took out a small wooden tube from his jacket pocket. Taking of the lid, he pulled out a slip of parchment and gave it to Nelyra. She took it, slowly. Glancing at the scroll, she identified it as a noble's record. Looking closely she realized it was hers.  
  
"Nelyra of Pirate's Swoop, Daughter of Sir Alanna and Baron of Pirate's Swoop," Nelly read aloud.  
  
"Give me that," Lady Catherine demanded, snatching the parchment from Nelyra's hands. "It is not a fraud, there is the yellow seal of Duke Gareth." So saying, she took off with a speed, which seemed impossible when one considered the fool skirt and heels that she was wearing.  
  
Nelyra cursed as she ran after the woman. Robert had healed her leg but she was still quite awkward on it.  
  
Lady Catherine ran through the garden door of the Castle of Corus. "Call my mother," she shouted at a staring servant. "Now!"  
  
Nelyra burst through the door that Catherine went through and came face to face with a pair of purple eyes. 


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own most of the characters nor most of the settings. Although, Nelyra and Kay belong to me.

Author's Note: The Thom referred to in this story is not Alanna's brother.

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"Mum?" Nelyra heard Robbie say.

The knight looked at him, her eyes filling.

Nelyra remembered the stories she heard of the Lioness. Her bravery, her strength, and that ever sharp tongue. Yet all of the legends featured a young woman. As she looked at the Lioness, she realized that that young woman was gone. White threads had found their way into the formerly fiery-red hair. Battle had etched scars over her hands and arms. Time had carved shallow valleys into the knight's face. Yet, those amethyst eyes still shone bright. 

"Go get your father," the Lioness said to Catherine.

"Yes mum."

"I suggest that we go to a place where the servants don't stare so," the knight said, ushering her children down the hall.

As she walked through the castle, Nelyra stared in amazement at the richness the hall displayed. Tapestries and portraits hung along the walls. Vases and statues stood in niches. As she looked up at the ceiling, her face was bathed in colored rays of sunlight emanating from the stained windows.

The Lioness opened a door to reveal a golden sitting room. The seats were draped in a bright yellow fabric. The same colored cloth decorated the window.

Sit down," the knight ordered. "You have a lot to explain."

Robert stared at his shoes.

Someone knocked on the door and the Lioness got up to answer. A middle-aged man stood in the doorway. Glancing around the room, his eyes stopped on Robbie.

"Have a seat, George," Alanna told the man. "This will be difficult to take standing." She stopped for a moment to intake a breath. "It seems that Thom isn't as dead as we thought"


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own most of the characters and settings. I do own Nelyra.  
  
Author's Note: My deepest apologies for those people who have been conspiring to murder me because of the long wait for this chapter. Have fun! Read and Review!  
  
  
  
The Baron's eyes opened wide and he practically fell into the chair.  
  
The Lioness fixed her glance at Robbie. "We are all ears, young man. Why did you leave us?" The Lioness asked, pain clearly written on her face.  
  
"I was waiting for that particular question. Mum, I hated the life of a noble. I felt suffocated, caged, and even lost," Robbie began.  
  
"You could have told us!" the Baron exclaimed.  
  
"Would you have listened?! You wanted me to take care of the 'Swoop. Mum wanted me to become a knight. No one cared about what I wanted!"  
  
"So you run away?!" Alanna pried.  
  
"I beg your noble pardon?" Nelyra squeaked.  
  
George's eyes suddenly locked on her. A questioning look appeared on his face. "Who's she?"  
  
"George," Alanna began. "This is Nel. This is Nelyra of Pirate's Swoop."  
  
For a moment time froze, and then, like snow in the sun, it slowly began to run again.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked in a choked whisper.  
  
"This is our daughter, George."  
  
"She had been missing for over a decade! This can't be her!"  
  
"Dad, please. I.er. kidnapped her a year after I fled to the city. I couldn't leave my sister in the clutches of noble life. I'm sorry, I didn't wish to put you through so much pain," Robert replied.  
  
"I certainly hope not," the baron said gruffly. He gave Nelyra a long look, examining her. His eyes stopped on the dagger strapped around her waist. His face twisted with displeasure.  
  
"Obviously some things other than physical features are passed through blood. You in the Rogue, No questions 'bout it," George commented. "I will ask Jonathan for a couple of rooms where you can stay, unless you wish to remain in the city. Speaking of living, how did you support your selves? Exactly how much did this lass steal?" George queried. Nelyra's face blazed with anger, but a look from Robert silenced her.  
  
"She only stole for her own pleasures," Robbie said. "I was teaching under the false name: Robert."  
  
And Nelyra's silence was gone.  
  
"You lied to me?!" she exclaimed. "First you don't tell me that I ain't an orphan, the you tell me that I'm a noble and the daughter of the Lioness, now you are telling me that you didn't even tall me your real name?! What next?! Perhaps I am a dancing bear as well?!"  
  
A worried look crossed the Baron's face as Nelyra bolted from her seat, her eyes a warning yellow.  
  
"Nel, Shush!" Nelyra's brother yelled.  
  
"No! I was lied to my whole life. So what is your name, dear brother?" She spat out. Her lips thin as they were compressed with anger.  
  
"You want to know my name? Fine! My name is Thom of Pirate's Swoop. Now will you please sit down?!"  
  
"I will do no such thing!" Nelyra leaped from her standing position and darted towards the door, which sprang open without her touching it. A bewildered face on the other side watched her run down the hall and out of the palace.  
  
"My apologies, Jonathan, for the scare that wild lass must have given you."  
  
"No need, George," the King of Tortall replied. "I take it you had quite a family reunion here." 


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own most of the Characters or most of the Settings. Nelyra and Kay belong to me.  
  
Author's Note: I apologize for not updating in a very long time. I hope I can get a bit more reviews. Please review my other works.  
  
She needed to breath, to run, to get away. People fled out of her way as if she was a cyclone, and, in a way, she looked like one as she shot down the streets, her bright hair in her face.  
  
Nelyra's mind searched for a destination. The apartment would be the first plac that Robert would search for her. No, not Robert, Thom, she thought bitterly and gained speed. She would go to the Dancing Dove and drown in a mug of ale. No, she didn't wish to see Kay, she couldn't face him with tears in her eyed. Those tears ran down her cheeks, drying, and leaving trails of salt on her face. A warm, maple door stopped her, She traced the silver sign on the wood with her fingers. Two out-facing crescents joined by a bull moon, the sign of the Mother Goddess.  
  
She went inside the building. The smell of incense and burning wax filled her nostrils. She glanced at the altar draped in autumn gold, red and orange. Remnants of the Fall Equinox still lay on the fabric. An image of the Mother Goddess hung above the altar. Nelyra collapsed on the floor, tears flooding her eyes. She felt as if all of a sudden the world had jerked from underneath her feet, leaving her falling through nothing. Nelyra punched at the cold, stonewall by her. The sudden pain awakened a new feeling, raw fury. She stood up and slammed her fist against the gray wall, and then she did it again. Soon the shrine was filled with the sound of flesh against stone. Nelyra's hands were a scarlet color from the blood that had broken through her torn skin and dripped slowly to the floor.  
  
An idea sprung into her mind. It was roughly formed but shone with an alluring light, alight hard to resist. She would flee. She would leave this unpleasing place behind. Leave Corus. Leave the Rogue. Leave Robert; no, Thom. Leave the family that would never be family. Leave Kay. Leave Kay?! Why not? Yes, she would flee.  
  
She walked up to the altar and, lifting her eyes to the Mother Goddess image, she uttered a few words.  
  
"Mother Goddess, hear me please," she whispered. "Lend me strength and wisdom. Guide me in my decisions. Guard men and shelter me from harm. So mote it be." 


End file.
